The National tribune., 1887-12-29
PLAIN LANGUAGE
About Recent Demonstrations In Dixie.

the people of this Republic of the grave dan
gers in permitting such to be.
Let us review the facts In 1860 certain
States, claiming that this Government of ours
was but a copartnership of many Govern
ments, which could be dissolved at will by any
one of those Governments, undertook to divide
the Government. They called it seeding
The citizens of the other States claimed that it
was State among the States of the world,
and could not be dissolved except by the over
powering force of arms, aud those citizens called
the act rebellion and those who attempted
to destroy the Government TRAITORS" F." and
rebels" War was waged for four years, and
the seeding States were forced to recognize
the supremacy of the General Government.
Contrary to the custom Of Nations, the rebels
were all spared their lives, and were given
their freedom and the right TO hold the property
which had been theirs. Those rebels as rule,
asserted that from henceforth they would be in
favor of one Government, and asserted that their
cause was lost" Their chief, however, as soon
as he was set at liberty, and ever since, claimed
that the cause" " was not lost; that it was
just and legal, and would yet prevail. Nothing
being done by those who had sustained the
Union to prevent such utterances, the senti-
ment came to be taught by others. Becoming
more bold, the ex-rebels began to raise monu-
ments, in the form of names of hotels, places
of business, etc., in honor of those VINO had
been prominent as leaders in the rebellion.
This being permitted, they next raised monu-
ments of stone to those heroes" No one
objecting, except foebly, occasionally, they
began to demand that those who fought to pre-
serve the Nation must not do anything or say
anything that could remind the rebels that they
had been defeated, lest it hurt their tender
feelings If a Union public speaker dared
allude to any act of an eX-rebel, the cry OF
"bloody shirt " was at once raised. Union
people must remain SILENT but ex-rebels could
extol to the skies the great deeds of their
| noble Generals and statesmen, and could raise
monuments of stone and bronze in every city
and town in the Southland" They next
held their Confederate Reunions" at which
the old rebel yell could be heard as loudly as
when they still had hopes of success III arms.
Rebel flags were marched under and hoisted
with great applause and yelling. In Southern
schools the children had been taught that the
South was right, the North wrong, and at their
fresides aud in their nurseries their children
are so instructed, that they cannot avoid hating
all Union people and the northern section OF
the Nation in general
These are facts, and the Richmond and Ma
con doings were but step ahead of former pro-
ceedings, and such as might have been expected
to some day transpire when they were first per-
mitted to say or do anything that made lie
of their assertions that they were, from the day
| of AppOmattox, true Union-loving people. The
rebel Gen. Jackson in his Macon speech but
stated that in the final day Davis and not Lin
/ coin would be asserted the true President. 1t
/ is true that few openly use such language; but
the rebellion is reviving, and rapidly too, and
/ the old principles of secession is fast growing
| in the minds of the rising generation. The
writer has travelled in Kentucky Tennessee,
| Georgia, Florida Alabama Mississippi, Louis
lana, Texas and Arkansas, and in his travels
he has studied the people, associated freely with
all classes and visited in their homes whore he
/ has found the walls invariably covered with
| pictures of Confederate Generals and victories
and cemetery scenes, each calculated to instn
| into the minds of children hatred of the
| North, and of the people who conquered them
| One searches IN vain FOR anything that shows
the faintest respect or token of honor for any
officer of the Union, or anything pertaining to
| the Union.
Now, are we to have long-lived Nation? Is
| the C0nfederacy dead2 Or must we prepare
| for another iratricidal WARP III this Nation is
| to be permanent, treason must be made odious!
! Traitors must not be permitted to live in the
| United States. As soon as one does or says any
| thing against the Union, he should be expelled
! from the Nation. Every monument, sign or
token raised, printed OF painted in honor of
| treason and rebellion, of any traitor must
be utterly destroyed, or we cannot feel safe or
secure. Was rebellion right Shall others be
! permitted to rebel at Will, and II unsuccessful
be put in possession of the Government, and
have monuments erected to those who failed
| in battle2 II not then we must undo what
| has been done. AS the writer has repeatedly
said 10 them in the South, they are doing that
! which they may themselves deeply regret if
they are sincere in their assertions that they
will hereafter favor the Union of the whole.
The next rebellion may be in the East, the
West, or North center and the South may be
| the States that will have to fight to save the
Union. With the precedent they have estab-
lished they can look at the picture that they
must behold in case they should sustain the
| Union. 1t is insisted by the North that the
rebellion was wrong. Then what picture we
are compelled to look upon all over the South
wrong presented to the world as something to
be worshiped
Old veterans of the South, you fought well,
aud surrendered as brave men. You now claim
feaIty to the. Union then let yours be the hands
To gently remove those monuments and hide
them where mortal eyes will never see them
again. There is no necessity for you TO groyel
in the dust and say you were wrong when you
were fighting to destroy the Nation-no neces-
sity for you to condemn your leaders-no rea-
son why you should not continue to have Re-
unions; but, if you really care for the perpetual
tion of this Republic, destroy as early as posi-
bic every trace of anything that in the faintest
degree is in honor of rebellion. For your own
salles and that of your descendants do nothing
that will tempt any other portion Of this Re-
public to ever attempt to secede or rebel. Let US
join hands and work for a common country-a
Nation that shall be as near perpetual as a Ma
ton can be. Teach your children that all peo-
pies look to this country as the haven of the
oppressed of all Nations, and as it is SO good in
the eyes of others. teach them to make it az
much better az possible and to love it for It's
goodness.
J.. We who fought for and against the Nation
are the ones to make the Union perfect You
who wore the gray, do your duty as citizens ol
this Republic; destroy the idols raised in the
honor OF rebellion or disunion, aud join hands
with us in the publication and perpetuation o.
our home-the United States Of America.
And think of this suggestion: United States
means a Union; at the same time it conveys
the idea that once there were separate States o.
NationaIities So long as that can be felt 81
! long will there be found people to claim the
l those States can dissolve that Union at will
r Then, to forever settle the matter, let us exer
ourselves to induce 81 our people to change th
; name, ana call IL something that will show tina
this isa Nation-one and inseparable-a Re
2 public, tool If we can give it no better name
, let it be called the Columbian Republic o
America" p al
But first let us haye solid, fixed Nation
with not a trace of a monument or elsewhat il
/ honor Of division, that we may feel safe durin
the few short years that 1t is possible for us t
remain here, and as We are mustered into tn
It Army of Eternity, let Us have reason to believ
g that our children can be secure. Thus united
S no Nation or combination of Nations will eve
# be daring enough to make war upon US.